The Road
by LucarioWritefag
Summary: A Trainer's Odissey through the Sinnoh Pokémon League.


"Blaziken, help me out here!"

Blaziken and I were leaning on each other so we wouldn't fall over. It's been almost 2 days since the last meal we and the rest of the team had. We got lost inside the Victory Road, got rushed by a gang of Golbats, ran out of potions and medicine. Just being alive made me feel happy, but something better came into my way.

Light.

"Come on, buddy, just a little more!" The last meters separating us from the exit seemed like whole miles.

We left the cave, blinded by the harsh sunlight, only to find an enormous waterfall, with the Pokémon League looming over it. Great! Blaziken must have dropped about 30 pounds due to malnutrition, Metagross and Venusaur were unconscious, Milotic was paralyzed, and Lucario had a nasty burn. Fortunately, I still had Salamence, even though he was on his last legs.

"We did it, my friend! Get some well-earned rest."

Blaziken was all happiness. He was my very first Pokémon, despite being natural from Hoenn. Today was the 4th anniversary of our journey, and there was no better way to celebrate it than making into the Pokémon league.

"Salamence! I need you!" I withdrew Blaziken and called out Salamence. "We need to fly over this waterfall. You're our only hope." She almost collapsed as I climbed on her back, but she was a strong girl. With much effort, she began flapping wings and in no time we overcame our last obstacle. As we landed, I patted her head and withdrew her.

I immediately rushed to the Pokémon Center. Thank Arceus we made it! While the medical team healed my partners, I went for a meal. Hell, that hamburger tasted like the heavens. Right after finishing it, I wrote mom some mail. Six days have been gone since the last time she got news from me, so it was better to make sure as soon as possible that I wasn't dead.

After a couple of hours, the nurse in duty called me and returned my Poké Balls. I went outside and withdrew all of my team. Blaziken had regained its physical form, Salamence threw fire up in the air, Milotic and Lucario gently smiled in their calm manners. Gengar and Metagross seemed a bit uneasy, as they still hadn't figured out where they were.

"My friends… We made it". I walked closer and hugged all of them, one by one. Venusaur almost trampled me down in joy.

"It's been a rough way, but there is still one last challenge. We've been through all these years together, living and learning one from each other. Let's rest for the day, tomorrow I'll take you out on a walk so we can get to know a little more about this place and warm up for the challenge. Got it?"

All the team irrupted in howls and growls. Their energy was so very moving I could lay my life on that challenge.

"Time to sleep, my brothers." I kissed them good-night and took 'em back into the Poké Balls. Luckily, there was a hostel nearby with vacant rooms, where I stood for the night. So much time sleeping on an air cushion almost made me forgot what a real bed was like, not to mention the electrical shower!

I remained in the tub for about an hour, and sent my clothes to the laundry after changing up. Then, I collapsed over the bed and quickly fell asleep. Next morning, I woke up and stared at the Poké Balls over the desk.

"Good morning, my brothers." People said it was bullshit, but I actually believed my Pokémon could listen to what I said inside their Poké Balls.

After getting fresh and dressing up, I searched to the local Mart for supplies. Luckily, the Elite 4 challengers had special advantages in the hostel, such as free laundry and breakfast, so a large part of the prize money I collected from other Trainers in the Victory Road was invested as extra supplies instead of hostelry expenses.

It was a beautiful day outside. I released my team so they could get bathed by the gentle sunlight and enjoy the mountain air.

"So, are you ready to roll?" They responded with affirmative nods.

We began moving, Blaziken and Lucario by my side, Milotic riding Salamence's back, Metagross and Venusaur behind us, enjoying the landscapes. Soon, we found a quiet place to train, where no one could see. I wanted to keep my strategy secret until the very last moment.

The sun was beginning to set when I gave my Pokémon a break. They needed to rest, after all. I walked back to the Pokémon League complex and officialized my challenge.

The time of my life was… tomorrow.

I came back to my room, and once again spent a lifetime in the hot tub, relaxing my muscles and meditating about my journey so far. Could hardly believe it was coming to an end.

Wait… coming to an "end"?

This definitely wasn't going to be the end. There are so many places to visit, so many Pokémon to see… Maybe the Sinnoh League is just the beginning, after all.

After leaving the tub, I changed into my pijamas and threw the windows wide. The chilling breeze quickly filled my room, bringing unnamed feelings and making my heart race. The purple horizon, crested with stars, made me think once again about my future. It was getting late… And I needed to get some sleep.

The adrenaline rush made me get up before the sun came out. It was quite early in the morning, but my spirit was on fire. In a few hours, I would be facing my destiny. I showered and dressed in a record time. Grabbed my Poké Balls, my Bag, and began my march.

As there was still plenty of time before the Pokémon League complex opened, I decided to send out my partners, one at a time, to have a couple of final words with them.

First one was Milotic.

"Hello, sweetheart. Is everything alright?"

She cried and swiftly circled me.

"Listen… I need you to trust me as much I trust you, okay? We have some rough battles up ahead"

I cuddled on her and sent her back.

Next was Salamence. It roared and took a stance, showing me she was in perfect conditions.

"Hey, take it easy! Everyone else is asleep at the moment!" I said, laughing. "You're so much of a badass, did you know that? I'm pretty sure we can do this. Just focus!"

Third in line was Metagross. He landed heavily on the ground and just kept staring at me.

"Don't you dare flinching, bro. Up and at 'em! Remember all our training!"

Then, Venusaur.

"Good morning, buddy! You know what day is today?"

Venusaur reared up and launched its whips in the air with excitement.

"That's right! Let's do it!" I high-fived its huge paw and sent him back.

After him, Lucario.

Despite being one of my most skillful partners, he seemed somewhat uneasy.

"Lucario… Are you ready?" I asked, with a smile.

"Master…" he said, in telepathy.

"Don't call me a master, Lucario. I'm your friend." I responded, stretching out to hold his paw.

"Master… I'm afraid." No matter how many times I'd complain, he'd still call me a "master".

"Afraid of what, Lucario?"

"I don't want to make you lose."

I kneeled down to equal his height, took a deep breath, and said, still holding his paw:

"You can only get defeated by yourself. I've never scalded you for losing a battle, right? You've always done your best, and that's all that matters. Even though opponents may outrun your skills, if you do your best, then there's nothing to worry about. The victory is within."

He launched himself into a hug, which was something I'd never seen him do… He was so proud and reserved. After letting go, he put his paw next to the spike in his chest. I did the same and we said, together:

"The Aura is Mine."

Finally, there was Blaziken.

After coming out, he stretched out his body and stared at the rising sun in the horizon. I joined him, and we both remained silent for a few minutes, admiring the scene.

"Blaziken…" I called.

"Blaze?" He responded, turning to face me.

"I love you, bro. I know you're not going to let me down."

He stretched out his claw-like hands and we brofisted, just like in the old times.

I withdrew him and walked towards the League's gate, as it was opening, and felt chills all over my spine. Could have lifted the whole Stark Mountain and made it roll to the bottom of the ocean using just my willpower.

The guards greeted me, checked my Trainer Card, gave me some papers to sign, explained me the rules (which I had already memorized months ago) and in no time, I was entering the door to the first challenge.

A sympathetic, green-haired young man, awaited me in the middle of the arena, arms folded, looking confident.

"Welcome, Trainer! I am Aaron of the Elite Four, specialist on Bug-type Pokémon. Pleased to meet you!"

I didn't move a muscle.

"Are you ready?" He asked, looking more confident than before.

He knew I was ready as he saw me reach for the first Poké Ball.

"Go, Dustox!" Aaron commanded.

"Go, Salamence!" I threw my Poké Ball, my racing with the force of a thousand suns. I could only focus on the battle.

"Dustox, Bug Buzz!"

"Salamence, Fly!"

Salamence flew just in time to dodge the foe's attack, and immediately stroke back, before it time to recover, knocking it out on the first hit. I could see Aaron's surprised look as I gained advantage in merely 30 seconds of battle.

"Okay… Beautifly, you're next!"

"Salamence, quickly! Use Dragon Claw!"

"Beautifly, Psychic!"

Beautifly anticipated Salamence's moves and stopped them in midair, using stron telekinetic energy to inflict damage on Salamence. Luckily, she could resist.

"Salamence, again! Dragon Claw!" This time, Beautifly couldn't dodge it, being rendered incapable of battling after a series of strikes.

"Salamence, good job! Take a rest!" I withdrew Salamence and sent out Metagross, while Aaron sent out Vespiquen.

"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" I shouted.

"Vespique, Defend Order!" Aaron shouted back. Out of nowhere, a huge cloud of bugs covered the arena, trapping Metagross inside.

"Metagross, you must resist! Keep up the good work!"

Metagross was fighting bravely, but the bugs resisted for a long time. When the cloud faded, however, Metagross was still standing, resisting on Meteor Mash, while Vespiquen could no longer fight.

"Metagross, excellent! Come back!" He was exhausted from resisting so much, after all. "Blaziken, come out!" Blaziken's wrists immediately spouted flames, and he glared deeply into the foe's eyes.

"Heracross, let's turn this game!" At this point, Aaron was not as confident as before.

"Blaziken, Flamethrower!"

"Heracross, Megahorn!" Heracross just charged against Blaziken's attack, ignoring the flames. Damn, that one could actually take hits! Its attack landed critically on Blaziken, knocking him backwards.

"Blaziken, keep on focused! Here it comes again!"

Heracross, despite being severely burned, kept on charging, but Blaziken fortunately protected it before I could voice the command.

"Now, Blaziken! Use Flamethrower again!"

Blaziken attacked again, while still gripping Heracross's horns. This time, there was no escape.

Aaron's confident expression had suddenly turned into a sharp glare. "Go, Drapion! I'm counting on you!"

Blaziken's wrists began to spout bigger and bigger flames, as a sign he wasn't intimidated by the foe. He immediately charged to attack, and Aaron made a move:

"Drapion, Cross Poison!"

Blaziken was fast enough to dodge it, but Aaron had an ace in the sleeve.

"Quickly! Aerial ace!"

Blaziken fell to the floor. Aaron took the time to finish him:

"Now, Drapion! Cross Poison again!"

My bro had guts, though. While I merely stared, at a complete loss for words, Blaziken sent an Earthquake so powerful that could have knocked Aaron's whole team in one shot. Aaron was just as surprised as me, in doubt wether to withdraw his Drapion or not. The referee took the mic and announced.

"The Challenger wins! Aaron is out of useable Pokémon!"

Aaron took back his normal expression, and said, in a humble manner:

"Congratulations. You have made it through your first step on the Elite Four. However, there are still three Trainers ahed, and they're all tougher than me. Just saying." He firmly shook my hand and I sailed on to the next room.

In the next room, there was an old lady with a cold smile, already expecting me.

"Hello, little man. Enjoying your challenge? Getting through Aaron so quickly was a feat, I must say. However, that doesn't mean I will fall back. My name is Bertha, specialist in Ground-type Pokémon, and as a member of the Elite Four, I shall battle you!"

Bertha immediately sent out Quagsire, leaving me with no choice but calling out Venusaur.

"Quagsire! Sandstorm!" Quagsire began swinging his arms around, raging up a sandstorm.

"Venusaur, Petal Dance!" The sand whipped up in the air became one with a cyclone of leaves, and in not time Quagsire was defeated. The sandstorm was still whipping when she sent out Whiscash.

Whishcash attempted to make a move, but Venusaur's Petal Dance was still functional as well. In no time, Whishcash had been knocked out too. However, Venusaur became confused to the fatigue, and the Sandstorm still raging mad the situation even tighter. I tried to get him back, but the sand wouldn't let me see clearly where he was.

Bertha, being an experient Trainer, waited for the sandstorm to subside before sending out Sudowoodo. Venusaur, besides being confused, was exhausted due to enduring the sand, and became an easy prey. A Hammer Arm firmly launched by Sudowoodo knocked him out easily.

"Don't think you'll keep this advantage…" Bertha teased.

I sent out Milotic, and before Sudowoodo could launch other attack, he was struck by a huge Surf wave.

"Hm… interesting." She carried on the battle by sending out Golem.

"Milotic, use Surf, once again!" The huge wave crashed fully against the foe, knocking him out. Now things were beginning to get harsh for her.

"Go, Hippowdon!" Bertha commanded, still cool-mannered.

"Milotic, finish him!"

"Hippowdon, Brick Break!"

Unbelievable. Milotic just got tossed across the arena, landing on the ground knocked out, with a single hit. I withdrew him and sent out Lucario.

"Lucario, trust me! Wait 'til he comes!"

As Hippowdon began the charge, Lucario focused and took his stance. When he was about to get struck by another Brick Break, I screamed:

"Aura Sphere, NOW!"

Lucario sent a huge Aura Sphere straight between Hippowdon's eyes, causing it to just fall over where he was just standing, echoing through the whole arena.

While the referee announced my victory, Lucario glanced back and smiled at me. I smiled back and withdrew him.

Bertha sighed and began speaking. "Well done, child, well done. I haven't seen such synergy between Pokémon and Trainer in years. Go on to the third room, you deserve it. The sky is your limit." She finished with a smile and moved aside to let me pass.

Before moving up, I healed up my team with some supplies bought the day before. Next up was a somewhat quirky guy.

"Yo, Trainer! I'm flint from the Elite Four, master or scorching-hot Fire-type Pokémon. You think you're ready?"

"Here I come!" I said, trying to hide my nervousism.

"Then bring it on!" He replied, tossing a Poké Ball.

A Steelix came out. In face of that, I sent out Lucario.

"Steelix! Fire Fang!"

"Lucario, Double Team!"

Steelix's jaws almost caught one of Lucario's fake images in a powerful bite. Before it knew the attack had missed, Lucario moved swiftly and struck with a powerful kick from behind, finishing with a fully charged Aura Sphere, subduing Steelix in record-time.

"Steelix, come back!" He withdrew Steelix and sent out Drifblim.

"Drifblim, Will-o-wisp!"

The flames surrounded Lucario and converged towards him, leaving him with painful burns around the torso. I thought of withdrawing him, but he caught my ideas and telepathically asked me to stay.

"Well, then Flash Cannon him, Lucario!"

Lucario but both palms in front of his body and set loose a powerful beam of energy.

"Drifblim, dodge it!" Flint shouted, but Lucario simply sweeped all the illusions with the continuous beam of the Flash Cannon, happening to hit its target in the end.

Drifblim fell to the floor, but quickly recovered and lunged to attack with Ominous wind. Lucario closed his eyes in a meditative way, and let out a powerful Psychic wave to block the Ominous Wind. Both attacks collided, but Lucario's wave kept travelling forward, pulling back the foe's attack and finishing him.

Flint seemed more and more agitated at every hit his Pokémon took. His forehead was covered in sweat and he was panting.

"Lopunny… It's your turn!"

Lopunny came out and endearingly looked at Lucario. It was using charm.

"Lucario, watch out!"

As soon as Lucario let his guard down Lopunny threw a Fire Punch right over Lucario's previous burns, knocking him on his back on the floor, frowning in pain.

"Lucario, good job! Come back!"

Flint began to smile.

"Milotic, come out!"

"Lopunny, use Sunny Day!"

The light entering through the skylight intensified, and the artificial lights seemed to intensify too, making the air heavy and dense.

"Milotic, Ice Beam!" Milotic, despite unnerved by the heat, struck Lopunny full in the body, launching it against the wall with a loud thud.

"Lopunny, come back! Go, Rapidash!" Rapidash came out and began scratching the ground, ready to charge.

"Fire Blitz!" Flint commanded. "Milotic, wait!" I ordered.

Rapidash began charging at full speed, cloaked in flames, and as it approached, Milotic used Surf, riding on top of the wave, avoiding the attack, and letting Rapidash crash into the wall of water, taking it out in a single move.

"Go, Infernape! It's do or die!"

Milotic attempted to use Surf once again, but Infernape was faster. With a single Thunder Punch, Milotic had been knocked out.

"Go, Blaziken! Just a little more!"

Blaziken came out, and at the mere sight of Infernape, he began spouting flames. Really strong flames. Flames like he had never spouted before. The flames on Infernape's head burst taller too. They stared at each other for a long time, with narrow eyes, ignoring any commands. Suddenly, they lunged towards each other.

What came up next was a fierce display of power. I didn't know Pokémon could take battles so seriously. Blaziken and Infernape were fighting with punches, kicks, takedowns, like two humans would do. But in a much more spectacular way.

In the middle of the combat, Infernape landed a straight kick right into Blaziken's chest, making him fall over on the ground. He got up again, but completely disorientated.

"Now, Infernape! Finish him!"

But when Infernape was about to make a move, Blaziken once again summoned an Earthquake, just like in the battle against Aaron. However, Infernape had endured the attack and was still standing, as groggy as Blaziken. Both Flint and I dropped our jaws, anxiously expecting the outcome of that battle of nerves.

And, not much time later, Infernape slowly fell over, unconscious. Blaziken sprang up and launched flames in the air as I almost cried with emotion. Flint, on the other side, was bent over his knees, panting, as if he'd ran all the way through the Victory Road in a single sprint.

"Very… Good… Keep…Going…" He said, in a faint voice, trying to catch his breath.

Only one to go. Before taking him on, though, I had to put my partners back into condition. Unfortunately, my math has gone terribly wrong, and now I had barely one fourth of the supplies I had brought to the challenge.

As I entered the last room, my foe was sitting on a cushion, reading a book. It took quite a while for him to notice my presence. He closed the book, got on his feet and spoke, in a formal tone:

"Good morning, Trainer. Sorry to keep you waiting, I was on the last lines of that book when you arrived. My name is Lucian of the Elite Four, user of the Psychic type. I don't like bragging, but it is said I'm the strongest of all four. Will you show me you're equal to my power?"

"Yes", I responded, trying to hide the worries in my voice. After all, I had two Fighting-types in my team, and that surely would be a huge pain in the neck if he figured it out.

"Go, Girafarig!"

"Go, Salamence!"

"Salamence, use Dragon Claw!" She was pretty fast, but Girafarig easily dodged the hit, countering with a Double Hit, throwing Salamence off balance. When the foe was ready to carry on the combinations, Salamence caught Girafarig in a midair Crunch. Lucian's Pokémon instantly fainted from the hit.

"Alright… Medicham, I choose you!"

"Salamence, Crunch, again!"

Salamence lunged to attack, but was struck first by a powerful Ice Punch from Medicham. As she couldn't take more, I withdrew her and sent out Metagross.

"Metagross! Shadow Ball!"

Medicham attempted an evasion, but the move curved its direction like a soccer ball being kicked and landed the target, ending in a one-hit knockout.

Lucian merely placed his hand on his chin and called out Alakazam.

"Metagross! Shadow Ball, again!"

"Alakazam! Use Focus Blast!"

Both attacks somehow simply passed through each other, hitting on both sides. Alakazam, however, used Recovered and quickly got back into business. Metagross tried to strike again, but fell over, exhausted.

"Good job, Metagross! Milotic, come out!"

Alakazam use Psychic, but unbeliavebly his attack missed, giving Milotic a chance to strike him with an Ice Beam, freezing the foe solid. Alakazam tried to recover, but Milotic finished him first with Surf.

"Go, Bronzong!" I saw it in my opponent's eyes… He was beginning to lose his hopes.

"Milotic, Surf! Again!"

Milotic's attack landed powerfully on Bronzong, but it didn't budge a single inch. Instea, it counter-striked with an amazingly powerful Gyro Ball, knocking Milotic down and out.

That one was sturdy… Perhaps I'd need another strategy. Perhaps I should go Kamikaze-style. Bronzong was a Steel-type, after all.

"Blaziken, avenge your partner!"

Bronzong readied an Earthquake, but Blaziken was faster, and threw it off focus by using Brick Break.

"Use Flamethrower once more! Don't give him any chance!"

Bronzong was sturdy, Bronzong was strong. But yet he was so painfully slow Blaziken had no trouble beating it, just spamming Brick Breaks and Flamethrowers.

Lucian raised his brows and, somewhat uneasily, threw his last Poké Ball.

"Mr. Mime, use Reflect!"

Blaziken launched another Brick Break at full power, but it merely crashed in Mime's Reflect wall. By the time Blaziken was able to break through it, Mr. Mime had already moved farther, giving him space to attack with Psychic.

Blaziken fell to his knees, trying to deal with the pain.

"Blaziken, Protect it!" I said, but he ignored me. He just got back up, strugging against Mr. Mime's Psychic energy, and began walking towards him.

"Blaziken! Don't do it!" I desperately screamed.

Lucian's Pokémon began emanating more powerful waves, but Blaziken simply kept going until he got close enough to attack, stamped Mr. Mime, taking him down, and launched a Flamethrower attack.

Mr. Mime had fainted, but, due to the effects of Psychic, Blaziken had fainted too.

"No! Blaziken!" I screamed, rushing on his aid. I was so worried about him I couldn't even hear the referee announcing my victory. I placed Blaziken's head on my lap, checking for his vital signs, but he held my head and cried, as if saying "Don't worry, I'm fine".

Lucian sighed, lifted his head to face me, clapped hands and spoke:

"Congratulations, congratulations. Bravo! That was an excellent battle. Your synergy with your Pokémon was so strong it could even throw my emotions off balance. As I said before, I don't like bragging, but only a couple of trainers showed me so much skill in my whole life. You have just defeated the Elite Four."

Defeated… The sound of that word splashed against me and ran down my throat, sweet as honey.

"However, you're not done with the Elite Four yet. Ahead lies the Champion. I must say, the Champion is far stronger than any of us. But you're prepared, In my opinion. Procceed, Trainer! Onwards to your final battle!"

I almost forgot I still had to face the Champion. But so what? I've gone through all four of the Elite and still could do that all day long. There was no turning back, for sure. I used the last of my supplies to heal my team and moved on.

As I walked through the hall that led to the Champion's room, chills rushed down my spine. In a few minutes, my life would never be the same again. Either I'd rise to the sky or fall back to hell. Even though I had butterflies in my stomach, my glare seemed like it could pierce through steel.

Inside the Champion's room, the harsh sunlight blinded my sight. I figured out "inside" the room was actually "outside": the arena was open, in the culminating point of the Pokémon League, almost as high as the clouds. When I could see again, a woman was standing right before me.

A beautiful woman.

A GORGEOUS woman.

The Champion herself.

She had her hands inside her coat's pockets, her chin raised in an intimidating way, and her silky blond hair floating in the wind.

"Hello, Challenger. See it? We're above all Sinnoh now. Literally."

She laughed and shook the hair off her face, lowering her chin and staring at me with deep, crystal-clear brown eyes.

"By the way, my name is Cynthia, the Champion of the Elite Four. Modesty aside, the most powerful trainer in Sinnoh, in other words."

She grinned in an ironic way and turned her back on me, walking towards her battle mark. As she walked across the arena, she said:

"It's been a while since a challenger has reached my level. I must say I'm impressed. So young and so talented…"

Cynthia reached her mark and turned once again to face me, pulling a Poké Ball from inside her coat.

"Well… Are you ready for giving me a decent battle or what?"

The Poké Ball in my shaking had did all the talking.

"So be it. I accept your challenge as the Champion of the Sinnoh League!"

Both our Poké Balls flew through the air and landed, hers revealing a Gastrodon, mine revealing Venusaur.

In other battles, I had a slight numerical advantage. This time, it was 6-on-6, but at least luck was on my side.

Gastrodon took the initiative in combat, attacking with Muddy Watter. Venusaur endured the hit, as she had advantage in types.

"Venusaur, it's your turn! Giga Drain!"

The attack, besides healing back Venusaur, dealt a truckload of damage to the foe. What an awesome start!

"Venusaur, just a little more! Use Petal Dance!" The torrent of petals landed critically on Gastrodon, lifting it up in the air and tossing it aside several yards away.

"Gastrodon, come back! Now, Spiritomb, let's show this kid some respect!"

Was she trying to tease me all from the beginning or something? Whatever. I withdrew Venusaur to give it some rest and sent out Salamence.

"Spiritomb, Shadow Ball!"

"Salamence, dodge it!"

Salamence nimbly cut through the foe's shots, and finished striking with Dragon Claw. Spiritomb tried to endure the hit, but couldn't take it.

Cynthia's jaw dropped. After a short moment of hesitation, she sent out Garchomp.

"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"

"Salamence, Dragon Claw!"

Both Pokémon rushed to strike each other, but damn, that Garchomp was incredibly strong. Salamence got knocked out just as quickly as she knocked out Spiritomb.

"So, how do you like it?" She said, looking at her nails in a disdainful way.

Either she was extremely stupid or could really play mind games, because that was starting to get on my nerves.

"Venusaur, I need you here again!"

"Garchomp! Giga Impact!"

Garchomp's attack shattered the ground right beside Venusaur. If it had hit, for sure Venusaur couldn't take it.

"Venusaur, take the chance and use Toxic!"

Garchomp's back arched from the effects of Venusaur's strong poison.

"Venusaur, use Petal Dance!"

Venusaur tried to attack, but even poisoned, Garchomp outsped her and used Giga Impact once again, but this time, the strike landed, knocking Venusaur out.

4 on 4. Things were about to get serious.

"Alright, then… Go, Milotic!"

"Garchomp, Brick Break!"

"Milotic, Ice Beam!" Luckily, Milotic's beam struck just before Garchomp could reach him. Garchomp, being both Dragon and Ground-type, instantly fell to the ground, shivering, while Milotic stared at him sharply.

"Hm… Interesting. You wanna play hard, huh? Go, Roserade!" Her left hand had curled into a fist.

"Milotic, Ice Beam, again!"

"Roserade, Energy Ball!"

Milotic's attack missed, giving Roserade time to shift and aim to attack, hitting Milotic on the side of her head.

As Milotic had no conditions to go back in the battle, I sent out Blaziken.

"Roserade, Sludge Bomb!"

"Blaziken, Flamethrower!"

Blaziken's attack outsped Roserade's, however, he still got hit. Roserade had been eliminated, but Blaziken was badly poisoned.

"Milotic, come out!" Cynthia said in a soft voice.

"Blaziken, you must resist! Protect yourself!" He did it just in time to block a Surf attack, and immediately followed up wit Brick Break. Cynthia's Milotic, just like mine, couldn't take many hits, but still was pretty dangerous. It not only survived the strike, but immediately counter-striked with another Surf attack, which Blaziken could not resist, due to the previous poisoning.

2 on 2. The situation was pretty rough now.

"Go, Metagross! I'm counting on you!"

Metagross came out and immediately spammed Meteor Mashes. Milotic could dodge most of them, but still, it took a lot of damage.

"Metagross, finish with Psychic! Before the foe recovers!"

"Milotic, use Mirror Coat, quickly!"

It took Milotic a lot of energy to reflect back Metagross's attack, the last one taking his backfired attack with doubled power. Both combatants fell back, in a draw.

1 on 1. It was now or ever.

Cynthia and I stared at each other, panting, Poké Balls in hand, as black clouds closed in above us. A thunder fell nearby, and it started to rain.

She screamed and tossed her Poké Ball in the arena. So did I.

On my side, my only hope, Lucario.

On her side, her only hope… Lucario.

The Lucarios stared longly at each other as well, liberating blue Aura from their paws. The rain began to fall harder.

"Lucario, Extreme Speed!" Cynthia billowed.

In a blink of an eye, her Lucario knocked mine back with the force of the strike.

"Keep going, Lucario! Your foe's weak!"

"Lucario, watch out! Use Psychic!"

My Lucario quickly recovered, and used his Psychic energy to stop the foe in the middle of its move and toss it forcefully over his shoulder. Lucario took a taunting stance as his foe got back up on his feet.

"Lucario! Use Earthquake!" Cynthia commanded.

"Lucario, use Earthquake too!" I shouted right after.

The Earthquakes summed up to each other, causing an immensurable amount of damage to both sides. The Lucarios were somehow still standing, however weak.

"Lucario! Get it together!" Cynthia shrieked.

"Lucario! The Aura is Ours!" I shouted from my side, with my heart in my hands.

My Lucario began charging an Aura Sphere, as hers began charging too. They simultaneously let loose their blasts of energy, which collided in the center of the arena. The explosion generated from the impact was so intense I threw myself to the ground and braced myself.

A giant cloud of dust kicked up. As it lowered, I saw Lucario head-on-head against Lucario, using every last bit of strenght, one trying to knock the other down using its own weight.

They remained like this for a long time, panting, about to fall over. Suddenly, Cynthia's Lucario raised its paw to punch mine in the face.

I closed my eyes and kneeled down, tears falling along with the rain.

Was it already over?

At least I…

Then, I opened my eyes and saw Cynthia's Lucario splashed over the wet ground, with mine staring at him, eyes half-shut in exhaustion. Apparently, he missed the final blow and eventually fell to the floor, uncapable of getting back up.

Yes, it was over. Just not as I first expected, though…

I was the champion. While the referee once again announced my victory, Lucario rushed towards me, tripping, almost falling over. I held him in my arms, both of us crying tears larger than our eyes.

"Master, master, we…"

"You did it, Lucario! You did it!"

We remained there for a while, soaked by the falling rain, on the ectasy of glory, trying to catch back the words. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face Cynthia, and she stretched her hand to help me back on my feet.

I stared at her, speechless. She merely said:

"Well… I'm at a loss of words as well. Maybe we could, um… get out of the rain?"

She led me to the door on the opposite side from which I had entered the arena. When we were back inside, she once again reached out her hand to shake mine.

"Congratulations, Trainer. I don't remember the last time someone had such an amazing battle with me. Beyond this hall, there is the Hall of Fame, where your victory will be officiallized, and your name and your team's will be recorded for posterity."

As we reached the Hall Of Fame, I placed my Poké Balls in a device that resembled a Poké Center healing machine. After a few seconds, all my team's data had been displayed on the screen, along with the "CHAMPION" label. Once again, tears fell from my eyes.

Cynthia looked at me and said, in an emotional tone: "I know that feel… I've been there before. From the bottom of my heart, congratulations. I'll never forget you, Trainer. Good luck on your further journeys."

I once again shook her hand, and headed towards the exit door. As I reached it, I turned and waved Cynthia goodbye. The exit door led me back to the League's reception hall. All the people in there, including other Challengers, instantly got on their feet and applauded me. I dropped by the reception counter, completely feeling completely awkward, and picked up my certificates.

After a while, however, I was kinda used to it. Before flying back home, I saluted dozens of people, and lost account of how many times I said "thank you". Outside the complex, I sent out Salamence, petted her back, and said:

"Hey, little girl, seems like we're superstars now. Ready to fly back home?"

Salamence responded with a joyful howl. I got on her back and we flew into the sunset.

Once arriving home, I slept like a stone. When I woke up, mom was sitting beside me in the bed. She hugged me tightly, and said:

"Hello, sweetheart. How have you been? Defeating League Champions around?" She smiled.

"Mom… I missed you so much! It's so good to be back home." I pulled her back in a hug and leaped off bed. She went downstair to get breakfast ready.

She look quite surprised by seeing me packed up, as if ready to set off again.

"Honey… Haven't you finished your challenge already?" She asked, as I loaded lots of donuts down my stomach.

"Yes, I did finish it, mom. But it hasn't ended yet."

She looked at me, completely puzzled.

"See… It's just the beginning, after all."

"Son, don't tell me you're…"

"Yes, mom, but don't worry. I'll be back home more often that I did on this trip. And you know… Unova is right next, maybe you could even visit me there sometimes!"

"Oh… It can't be helped." She sighed. "You're going after new challenges, right?"

We got off the table, walked towards the front door. I looked in her eyes.

"Yes. Until the end."

She opened the door and hugged me once again. "See you soon, dear."

"See you soon, mom." I felt the same thrill as back four years in time, when I left those doorsteps for the first time. Back to the road, after all.

"Salamence! I need you!"

Salamence came out and looked at me as if saying "Hey, aren't we home yet!"

I leaped on her back and spurred her into action.

"Unova, here we go!" I shouted, as mom watched me vanish in the skies.

END


End file.
